The use of human embryos for artistic applications. Bioethical considerations on Stefan Lorenz Sorgner’s Philosophy of postuman art
Author(s)
Balistreri, Maurizio
Date Issued
2022
Type
article
Volume
2
Issue
2
Start Page
101
End Page
114
Journal
Abstract
When we think about posthuman or transhumanist art, we tend to limit our attention to works involving non-human animals or material of an animal origin. The merit of Stefan Lorenz Sorgner’s work lies in how he encourages us to reflect also on works of art that involve or may imply the use and manipulation of material of human origin. In this article, we intend to ask whether we have cause to consider using human embryos and material of embryonic origin for exclusively artistic purposes immoral. Bioethics debate has faced the theme of the moral legitimacy of research or experimentation on human embryos, solely considering therapeutic purposes. We believe that the new frontiers of artistic research have by now made it necessary also to consider the employment and manipulation of human embryos from a broader viewpoint, able to bear in mind not only the therapeutic or medical purposes. The objective of this work is to discuss the question of whether the employment of human embryos or material deriving from there for merely aesthetic purposes is always immoral or at least less moral than their use for therapeutic or medical purposes. We shall state that using human embryos for artistic experimentation may be morally justified for the value we attribute to art and the so-called artistic experience. We shall, however, also state that the reasons that may justify the use of human embryos in medicine can also apply to the field of art more strictly, in that today, artistic research may contribute to scientific and technological development on various levels. In these terms, it may be maintained that using human embryos (or embryonic stem cells and tissue) in art can be morally justified as it may favour scientific research and the development of therapeutic solutions.
Subjects